Elsie Lappin | Coronation Street Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Maudie Edwards Elsie Lappin (née Castleway, previously Foyle) was the owner of the Corner Shop in Coronation Street from 1945 to 1960 . A variety singer in her youth, Elsie's singing days ended when she injured her vocal chords at twenty-three. In 1930 , she married widower Tommy Foyle and ran the Corner Shop in Coronation Street with him until his death in 1945. They had two children together, Hilda and Shelagh . Elsie enjoyed working behind the counter and took over the running of the shop when Tommy was confined to bed after a stroke. When rationing laws were in place during World War II , Elsie helped her neighbours by buying black market goods to supplement their allotments. Elsie's scheme was rumbled by the police and she was fined. The war ended on 8th May 1945, but as the other Street residents celebrated, the Foyles mourned the passing of Tommy who died from a heart attack.

An invalid in his later years, Tommy had urged Elsie to remarry so she wouldn't have to run the shop alone after his death, and although she could cope perfectly well at the shop Elsie did get married again, to Les Lappin in 1947 . Elsie was a widow again in 1952 when Les died from a heart attack. Hilda and Shelagh remained at the shop until 1957 and in 1960 Elsie decided to retire. Buying a bungalow at Knott End , she sold the shop to Florrie Lindley . After the sale, Elsie remained for a few days to show Florrie the tricks of the trade and warn her about the neighbours. Elsie Lappin was played by actress Maudie Edwards . The character appeared in episodes Episodes 1 and 2 and spoke the very first words on Coronation Street . As a long-standing proprieter of the Corner Shop who was just leaving Coronation Street when the series began, little was revealed about Elsie's life on-screen, but her backstory was expanded upon significantly by Daran Little in his published books Weatherfield Life and Around the Coronation Street Houses .

Most of the information on this page comes from those works. Coronation Street Coronation Street A selection of wonderful miniatures from your favoorite sit com. The Corner Shop Click on photo for larger image if available The Corner Shop , L3487 The Corner Shop was the first building to be seen in Coronation Street , literally appearing in the first scene of the very first episode, way back in 1960. The opening scene depicted the outgoing owner, Elsie Lappin, showing the ropes to newcomer, Florrie Lindley.It became an off-licence in 1976 when Renee Bradshaw's application was approved, despite neighbouring publican, Annie Walker's, opposition and Alf Roberts refurbished into a self-service mini-market in 1985.The shop has seen more than its fair share of drama over the years, not least in 2004 when it was gutted by Dev Alahan's jealous ex-fiancee Maya Sharma, who torched it with Dev and his wife Sunita inside ; thankfully they were rescued in the nick of time.

Disaster returned again in 2010 when a tram came off the viaduct and ploughed into the shop, killing Molly Dobbs and injuring Sunita. Bye 'eck! The Duckworths Click on photo for larger image if available CORONATION STREET. Height: 6.0cm Length: 5.0cm. Ah! No. 9 Coronation Street , it's got to be the most recognizable of all the terraced dwellings on the street, thanks to its bright facade ! Ken and Valerie Barlow occupied the house for the first six years of their marriage, welcoming twins Peter and Susan in 1965. But the most famous residents were the Duckworth family, who arrived in 1983, moved out in 1995, but bought it back again in 2000. It was Vera Duckworth who upset her neighbours with the addition of the gaudy stone cladding in 1989 and matters were made worse when they were brightly re-painted in 1994.

In 2002, Vera decided she needed a name for the house and put up a sign for 'The Old Rectory', whilst Jack's pigeon loft was a mainstay in the backyard until 2009. Both Jack and Vera passed away in the same armchair in the back room , Vera in 2008, Jack in 2010. Aw, chuck ! We're located in Colorado and all prices shown are in US dollars Shipping Information Coronation Street Blog: Who should run the Corrie Corner Shop? Who should run the Corrie Corner Shop? Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest After blogging about who would make the ideal Rovers Return landlady, it got me thinking about other businesses in Coronation Street. I cannot think of anyone behind the counter of the Kabin apart from Rita and Norris. The Salon without Audrey would be sacrilege. And Roy's Rolls without Roy? Never! However, I do think Dev has outstayed his welcome at the Corner Shop. What a good opportunity to take a look back at previous Corner Shop owners I hear you cry. Ok, let's do it!

The first scene of the first ever episode of Coronation Street was set in the Corner Shop. The then current incumbent, Elsie Lappin, was handing over the reigns to new owner Florrie Lindley. Well, we couldn't have two Elsie's in the one street, could we? Florrie managed the shop for the first five years of the show, before the actress was axed by incoming producer TIm Aspinall in the mid-60s. Characters such as Lionel Petty and David and Irma Barlow also took charge of the shop during the 1960s before it was sold to Maggie Clegg in 1968. I really liked Maggie's character and thought she fitted in well on the Street. However, these days she is really remembered as Betty Turpin's sister. Betty arrived a year after her sister and often helped out in the shop. Following Maggie's marriage and departure to Zaire in 1974, the Hopkins family arrived. Their tenure was short-lived as they proved unpopular with viewers, although they did introduce us to the wonderful Tricia Hopkins, friend to Gail Potter. I would love for Tricia to return as Gail really needs a friend again!

The Corner Shop was also involved in scandal when the Hopkins' found proof that Betty Turpin was in fact the mother of Gordon Clegg, who had previously been known as Maggie's son. My favourite boss of the Corner Shop has to be Alf Roberts. Originally a GPO (or Post Office worker) Alf became involved with the shop through marriage to Renee Bradshaw in 1978. Renee had bought the shop in 1976, immediately causing consternation by applying for a licence to sell alcohol. This brought the wrath of Annie Walker to her door, although the pair were subsequently on good terms (apart from when Annie frequently expressed her dismay at the poor variety of products available in the shop). Alf firmly donned the white grocer's coat after Renee's sad demise in a car accident in 1980 and ruled behind the counter until the mid-1990s. I loved this period - particularly his squabbles with his third wife, Audrey. Alf obviously took great pride in his little empire and was loathe to finally give it up. I would rather gloss over Reg Holdsworth's involvement in the Corner Shop, as I'd rather gloss over Reg in general.

I still shudder at memories of his water bed, not to mention his truly dreadful wig. I did however enjoy seeing Maureen's mother Maud working in the shop. A latter day Ena Sharples, I loved Elizabeth Bradley's performances. It is often forgotten that she was in fact the first Coronation Street character to use a wheelchair. Fred Elliott and his son Ashley also ran the Corner Shop for a time before ownership was passed on to businessman Ravi Desai and his children Nita and Vikram. While both Ravi and Nita were relatively short-term characters, I did like Vikram, particularly his relationship with Steve MacDonald at Streetcars. Unfortunately the arrival of the Desai's ultimately led to Dev Alahan making an appearance. Dev was Vikram's cousin and took over the shop after the family left. Originally Dev ran the shop as part of a chain, however following Mad Maya's reign of terror, most of these disappeared (along with his countless other children) or were sold off. After being burned to the ground by Maya and then destroyed by a careering tram, we haven't seen much of the shop in recent times. I think it's time for a change of ownership. So who was your favourite Corner Shop boss?

Has Dev outstayed his welcome? Who is the true 21st Century heir to Alf Roberts' Corner Shop throne? And while I'm here I'll take a bottle of bleach and half a dozen of them fancies - and NO eclairs! Corner Shop | Coronation Street Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The Corner Shop was the first building to be seen in the first episode of Coronation Street . At the time, Elsie Lappin was the owner. She was about to hand the shop over to Florrie Lindley as Elsie was moving away from Weatherfield . The first owner of the shop was lay preacher Cedric Thwaite who owned the shop from the opening of the shop from 1902 to December 1915 . He married Lottie Hofner in 1910 and she moved into the The Corner Shop as it appeared on the opening titles of the first episode in 1960 shop with him. In December 1915, Cedric sold the shop to Tommy Foyle , who moved in with his sister Amelia . Amelia died from the flu in 1919 .

The next person to move into the shop was Lil Makepiece , who married Tommy Foyle in 1923 . Tommy became a young widower in 1927 when Lil died of bronchitis. Tommy re-married in 1930 to variety singer Elsie Castleway . Their first child, Hilda , was born in 1933 followed by their second daughter, Shelagh , in 1935 . Elsie became a young widow when Tommy died suddenly during the end-of-war street party on 8th May 1945 . After his death, Elsie became owner of the shop. Elsie re-married in 1947 to Les Lappin . He died in January 1952 . Florrie Lindley serves Ena Sharples at the Corner Shop on her first day in December 1960 . The next person to own the shop was Florrie Lindley , who ran the shop after Elsie retired to Knott End in December 1960 until she reconciled with her estragned husband and moved with him to Canada on 2nd June 1965 .

During Florrie's tenure the shop frontage was altered with a new window and doorway. Shortly after that, ex-army sergeant Lionel Petty bought the corner shop after his daughter Sandra persuaded him to do so (she was trying to revive her short-lived "romance" with Dennis Tanner ). Sandra moved out after a few months. Lionel was rarely seen and in January 1966, he decided to give up the shop, selling it to David and Irma Barlow . David and Irma had a rocky start to their marriage and in 1968 the couple decided to emigrate to Australia. This is how the Corner Shop looked when the Hopkins family rented it from Gordon Clegg. In April 1968 , Les and Maggie Clegg bought the shop, but due to Les's alcohol problem Les and Maggie got a divorce and Les gave the shop to Maggie as a settlement. In 1970 , Irma returned to Coronation Street a widow as David and her baby son Darren had been killed in a car crash in Australia. Irma took on the job of shop assistant, to help out Maggie for a while. On 8th July 1974 , Maggie married Ron Cooke .

The couple decided to emigrate to Zaire and the shop was rented to Tricia Hopkins mother, Vera . After the Hopkins family left, Blanche Hunt was employed to act as caretaker manager of the shop until she left in 1976 . The shop was then run by Gail Potter and her friend Tricia . In 1976 , Renee Bradshaw bought the shop and applied to become an off-licence. Annie Walker opposed the idea but Renee won the application. In 1978 , Renee married Alf Roberts and the following year Alf decided to give up his job at the Post Office to spend more time helping Renee in the shop. Renee died in a road accident in 1980 and Alf inherited the shop. He ran it with the help of Deirdre Langton , who continued to work there until 1987 . Sally Webster serves behind the till during Alf and Audrey Roberts' era at the Corner Shop in 1989 In 1985 , Alf changed the structure and layout of the Corner Shop.

The shop was extended into the back room and the staircase that had been there since the street was built in 1902 was removed to create a self-service mini-market. The words CORNER SHOP were displayed in large red letters on the main shop sign with "Alf's Mini Market" painted on the window. The upstairs bedsit was renovated into a more comfortable flat with a separate entrance built in Viaduct Street . Alf opened the new shop in September 1985 and in December of that year he married Audrey Potter , who joined him in working in the shop part-time. Sally Webster began work as Alf's assistant in 1987. The Holdsworths make their mark on the Corner Shop in the 1990s Alf decided to retire from the shop in 1993 and sold the Mini-Market to Brendan Scott , formerly an area manager of the supermarket chain Bettabuy . Brendan was hoping to open several shops under the umbrella name of " Best Buys " and saw the Coronation Street shop as the first rung in his empire.

He later decked the shop out as an old-fashioned grocery under the new name " Scott's Provisions " Brendan's dream was not fulfilled as shortly after opening the business he died of a heart attack on the shop floor. Alf Roberts bought the shop back, but soon sold it on to Bettabuy's manager Reg Holdsworth for £68,000. Reg ran the shop with his wife Maureen and her mother Maud Grimes . Reg and Maureen later divorced and she took the shop in the settlement, renaming it "Maureen's Mini Market". The Desai family take over the shop in 1999 In 1997 , Maureen married Fred Elliott but left him within days. Fred managed to buy the shop back, renaming it "Elliott's" and installing his nephew (later to be revealed as his son) Ashley Peacock as manager, with Maud still working there. In February 1999 , Fred sold the shop to Ravi Desai , who installed his daughter Nita and sister-in-law Maya as staff. After only ten months in charge, in December , Ravi sold the Corner Shop and six other shops in the area to his nephew Dev Alahan .

In November 2004 , Dev's empire of corner shops and mini-markets went up in smoke when his vengeful and unbalanced ex-girlfriend Maya Sharma systematically burned down the businesses over the course of one evening. As Dev raced around the area to the shops, Maya took his new wife Sunita hostage. Maya Sharma's arson attack gutted the shop in 2004 When Dev returned he was also gagged and bound while Maya torched the shop. Dev and Sunita were rescued but the Corner Shop exploded in a ball of fire, gutting the building. Maya then tried to run the Alahans ' down, but failed as a lorry crashed into her car. Dev rebuilt the Corner Shop but his relationship with Sunita ended in early 2006 . She had recently given birth to their twins Aadi and Asha when she discovered that he had several secret children with former staff members. For a time, Dev ran the shop employing his daughter Amber Kalirai , Molly Dobbs and Sophie Webster . Sunita returned to work at the shop in 2010 after being reconciled with Dev.

The accident which destroyed the shop and killed Molly Dobbs In early December , the shop was destroyed when it was hit by a derailed tram. Sunita, Molly and her baby Jack were trapped in the rubble following the accident. While Sunita and Jack escaped with relatively minor injuries, Molly died before she could be freed. During the tragedy, £5,000 of the shop's takings was stolen by Becky McDonald to pay half-sister Kylie Turner for custody of her son Max . The rebuilding of the shop was halted when it emerged that Dev had not insured the business and was not able to afford the work. Feeling guilty over the theft, Becky's husband Steve repaid the money to the Alahans after a casino win, claiming he had stolen it from them himself. Coronation Street - Season 1, Episode 1: Fri 9 Dec, 1960 - TV.com AIRED: 12/9/60 There's a new arrival in Coronation Street: Florrie Lindley, who is taking over the Corner Shop at No. 15 from the previous owner Elsie Lappin who stays to show her the ropes on her first day. Meanwhile, at No.

11 Elsie Tanner is on at her son, Dennis, to get some work but he reminds her that it's not easy for someone who's just got out of prison. There's also a misunderstanding when Elsie accuses Dennis of taking money from her purse when in fact it was her married daughter Linda who had borrowed it and forgot to say so. Also, Linda tells Elsie that she's leaving her husband, Ivan Cheveski, a Pole she married two years previously. Elsie says she'll believe it when she sees it! At number 3, there's unrest at the Barlow's house. Twenty-one year old student Kenneth Barlow has an argument with his postman father, Frank, when he announces that he's met a girl, Susan Cunningham, and he's taking her to the Imperial Hotel. Frank argues that Ken has all but forgotten his working class roots. His mother, Ida, works in the kitchens there and he's not having Ken show her up. Ken takes refuge in the pub at the end of the street - the Rovers Return - where he's served by landlady Annie Walker, and then at No. 1 where he speaks to his old friend, pensioner Albert Tatlock.

Florrie gets to know the locals including pensioner Ena Sharples, caretaker of the Glad Tidings Mission Hall across the street. Ken's mother Ida interrupts Ken and Albert's chat to tell him that Susan's turned up at their house. He rushes round to meet her.moreless Who was the Episode MVP ? Coronation Street Blog: Corrie A-Z: C is for the Corner Shop (Part 1: 1960-1980) With thanks to Daran Little’s Coronation Street: Around the Houses for all the info on the history of the Corner Shop prior to 1960. For many years, the Corner Shop was a staple in every Corrie episode, where characters were seen talking and gossiping about goings-on in the street. And the shopkeeper had an integral part in the community: be it Florrie Lindley back in the early 1960s or Alf Roberts in the 1980s. But in recent years, the Corner Shop has lost its status and has dwindled into extinction, apart from the odd scene here and there. At one time, the Corner Shop played a vital role in many episodes.

Indeed, it played the central role in the very first episode back in December 1960 when Elsie Lappin handed the business over to Florrie Lindley after 30 years. It was through Florrie’s eyes that we met the characters as they came to the shop to introduce themselves to the new shopkeeper. Prior to Coronation Street’s on-screen debut in 1960, the corner shop had proprietors since 1902. The first owners were Cedric and Lottie Thwaite who ran the shop until 1915. The Foyle family (including Tommy, Amelia, Lil, Elsie, Hilda and Shelagh) ran the shop from 1930 to 1947. Elsie, and her husband Les Lappin, bought the shop in 1947. Les died in 1952 and Elsie continued behind the counter until she sold the shop to Florrie Lindley in 1960.

Let’s take a closer look at who was behind the counter between 1960 and 1980: Florrie Lindley 1960-1965 Florrie was a typical shopkeeper: a kind, caring and compassionate soul. During her stint behind the counter she installed a new window and doorway and opened a sub-post office. Irma Ogden became her assistant in 1964. But loneliness ate away at Florrie and led her to have a nervous breakdown and she wrecked the shop. In 1965, estranged hubby Norman re-entered her life and persuaded Florrie to join him in Canada. She agreed and sold the shop to Lionel Petty. Lionel Petty 1965-1966 Petty was an ex-Army officer and ran the shop in an efficient but military way and his approach towards the customers was a stark contrast to Florrie. Even assistant Irma stayed off work to avoid him and when he was short towards Ena Sharples many of the residents boycotted the shop. As well as Irma, his daughter Sandra worked behind the counter as did Dennis Tanner. After only a few months, Lionel sold up the shop and returned to his native Wales.

David and Irma Barlow 1966-1968 Petty sold the shop to young married couple David and Irma. The first thing the Barlows did was close the sub-post office that had been in the shop since 1964 but in recent months had become unprofitable. They settled into shop life and were popular with residents. But within a few months Irma had grown bored and left the shop to work as a machinist at the PVC factory while mother Hilda took up the job of shop assistant, to David’s chagrin. Irma soon returned the shop and life was good until 1968 when David craved for a return to his football career. And when he was offered a place in an Australian team, he persuaded Irma that they should immigrate and sold the shop. Les Clegg 1968-1970, Maggie Clegg 1968-1974, Irma Barlow 1970-1972 and Gordon Clegg 1974-1976 The Cleggs bought the shop as a new start due to Les’ alcoholism and a chance for him to stay sober.

They arrived on the street with their ‘son’ Gordon. They were happy for two months before Les fell off the wagon and assaulted Maggie and thus ended their marriage. Needing help, Maggie took on Ena Sharples and Valerie Barlow as her assistants. Maggie’s overbearing sister Betty Turpin arrived on the street in 1969 to help her sister out but Maggie persuaded her to get a job as a barmaid at the Rovers. Valerie left her post as assistant at the end of 1969 when she got a job at Alan Howard’s hair salon. In 1970, Les and Maggie divorced and Maggie was given the shop in the settlement. Soon after, a widowed Irma returned from Australia and entered into a partnership with Maggie. As a result, Ena left her post as shop assistant. Hilda helped out now and again; Janet Reid was briefly an assistant in 1971 and Lucille Hewitt from late 1971 to early 1972. Irma sold her share to Maggie and moved to Llandudno in 1972.

Maggie was now the sole owner of the shop and took on Norma Ford as her assistant who stayed until the end of 1973. In 1974, Maggie appreciated the help of Alf Roberts. When he proposed, she rejected stating she only saw him as a good friend. But within a few weeks she married Ron Cooke and they immigrated to Zaire. Maggie passed the shop on to Gordon but when he clashed with Betty, he left for London and rented the shop to Welsh couple Idris and Vera Hopkins who moved to the shop with their daughter Tricia and Idris’ mother Megan. But they had a short stay when Megan found out that Betty was Gordon’s real mother and tried to blackmail Gordon into selling the shop to them at a lower price. Gordon had been told that Betty was his mother by Maggie when she visited in early 1975. As a result, the Hopkins were evicted and left in a midnight flit. Gordon did let Tricia stay in the shop flat with her best mate Gail Potter and they ran the shop until mid-1975 when Blanche Hunt took the reins with the young girls her assistants.

When Blanche left the street in early 1976, Tricia and Gail took care of the shop. As Gordon was in London, it was Betty who looked after the shop’s financial side and reported to Gordon of any problems. In mid-1976, Gordon sold the shop to Renee Bradshaw. Renee Bradshaw/Roberts 1976-1980 Renee took over the shop to be closer to her brother Terry. She soon sacked Tricia and Gail for being terrible assistants and Tricia left the area. Renee soon applied for an off-licence and waged a war against publican Annie Walker and won. Bet Lynch moves in as a flat tenant and Renee becomes her confidante. Alf Roberts romances Renee and they marry in 1978. When Alf is injured when a lorry ploughs into the Rovers, he retires from the GPO to help Renee at the shop. In 1980, the Roberts decided to sell the shop and move to run a sub-post office in Grange-over-Sands. But on the way from Grange, Renee is killed in a lorry-crash collision.

Alf decides to stay put on the street and continue behind the counter. Florrie Lindley Florrie Lindley Full name: Florence Lena Lindley Parents: Played by: Betty Alberge Appeared: 1960 - 1965 Formerly the barmaid at the Farrier's Arms on Collier Street, Florrie Lindley appeared in the first scene of the first episode of Coronation Street, taking over the corner shop from Elsie Lappin who had run it since 1930. Though she had an estranged husband who had run away to work as an engineer in India, she let it be known that she was a widow and even set her cap at Harry Hewitt , losing out to Concepta Riley. She found business hard and she had problems paying some of her suppliers, so in an attempt to generate more income, she had two of the upstairs bedrooms converted into bedsits and rented them out. The first lodgers were two young clerks from the Town Hall, who only stayed a month. They were followed by Sheila Birtles and Doreen Lostock who lived there for over a year, despite Florrie's strict rules about gentlemen callers.

After the girls left, Florrie became lonely and spent many evenings playing bingo, once winning £100, only to have her handbag snatched on the way home. In 1964, she had the shop converted, moving the doorway from the windy corner, to the side next to No.13 and adding a sub-post office, complete with telephone kiosk. While Florrie sold stamps and cashed pensions, Irma Ogden ran the grocery shop, eagerly encouraging the pensioners to spend the money that they had just got from Florrie. Jealous of her youth and popularity with men, Florrie turned on Irma and had a minor breakdown, throwing a tin of meat through the shop window, before collapsing in a sobbing heap on the floor. Despite her doctor's orders she soldiered on with the shop, but soon her past was to catch up with her as her estranged husband Norman returned seeking a divorce. Norman had a brief affair with Elsie Tanner , before he reconciled with his wife and the two of them left to start a new life in Canada where Norman had taken a job. Can you update or amend this profile? Let us know Want to send some general mail to corrie.net?

mailbox@corrie.net Coronation Street 50th birthday: 124 deaths, 86 marriages, 52 barmaids | Daily Mail Online comments Celebrations are under way to mark Coronation Street's 50th birthday, with the ITV show given an unprecedented accolade by a rival: a BBC docu-drama. Corrie chalks up another landmark this month, becoming the world's longest-running TV drama. Here, Tim Oglethorpe unearths 50 facts about a soap that was twice rejected by the BBC and condemned by critics after its first showing on December 9, 1960... 1. The first character in episode one was supposed to be a cat jumping out of a dustbin and making its way down the street to the corner shop. But the cat went missing just before the live show began, so the first scene was hastily reorganised to show two girls playing ball. 2. One of the girls was 11-year-old Manchester schoolgirl Lynda Belcher, later to change her name to Lyn Paul and enjoy worldwide pop fame with The New Seekers.

Corrie gold: Julie Goodyear as Bet Lynch in Coronation Street in 1982 3. The show's first words were: 'Now the next thing you've got to do is get a sign writer in,' spoken by corner-shop owner Elsie Lappin as she handed the shop over to Florrie Lindley. 4. The only surviving cast member of the first episode is William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow. Now 78, he was paid £10 for each show - compared with the £3,000 he is reputed to get now. 'I needed to be convinced that it wasn't a mistake to sign up,' he recalls. 'If I had known it would turn out to be my life's work, I would have run a mile.' 5. Eric Spear, composer of the iconic Corrie theme tune, was paid £6 for his work. It is the only piece of music to feature in a survey of Britain's top ten favourite sounds (after laughter, rain, wind, waves, applause and the words 'I love you'). 6.

The longest-serving props are the Barlows' dining room table and a painting of a boy scout, The Pathfinder, by Ernest Carlos, which has hung in their hall since the beginning and has been reproduced as postcards and as stained glass windows in churches. 7. The original title sequence - showing terraced houses back to back - was filmed in Archie Street, Salford, which was demolished in 1971 as part of a slum clearance scheme. 8. The Street's creator, Tony Warren, who had been scripting episodes of Biggles for Granada TV, staged a sit-in in producer Harry Elton's office until he agreed to let him write a drama of his own - 'the Manchester I know, with dirt under its fingernails.' 9. Warren had made two unsuccessful attempts to interest the BBC; one executive fell into a deep sleep while he was explaining his idea. When Granada agreed - albeit reluctantly - to make the show he was under a watertight, £30-a-week contract, regardless of how much he wrote and how popular his work was. Half a century ago: The original Coronation Street cast - try spotting some of the old characters... 10.

For gritty Northern authenticity, characters' names were taken from gravestones in Manchester cemeteries. 11. The pilot episode was not deemed a success by producer Harry Elton who was about to cancel the show - until Agnes the office tea lady voted it a hit. She also suggested that the original title, Florizel Street, was wrong, 'because it sounds like a disinfectant'. It had been named after one of writer Tony Warren's heroes, the dashing Prince Florizel in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. 12. Granada boss Sidney Bernstein could not understand why anyone would want to watch a show about the north 'with all the boring bits of life strung together'. A 1965 script had Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker putting it more eloquently: 'One does get rather tired of this dreary landscape, this desert of bricks and cobbled streets, blackened chimneys piercing the sultry sky like jagged teeth.' 13. Warren originally gave Ken Barlow a sister, Enid, in the first script, but had second thoughts at the last minute, and changed the character to a brother, David - a professional footballer. 14.

It fell to Ken Barlow to utter the show's first expletive. his use of the word 'bloody' in 1961 brought 83 complaints. 15. Pat Phoenix, who was to play the tough, matriarchal Elsie Tanner for 21 years, almost didn't get the part. She antagonised the director by arriving late for her audition and refusing to take off her coat. 'I'll leave what I'm wearing underneath to your imagination,' she told him. 16. With that teasing remark she set the tone for her character - Elsie Tanner went on to have 23 boyfriends, three husbands and seven marriage proposals. 17. Pat Phoenix died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 62. Since then, many have claimed to have seen her ghost backstage at the studios and heard her distinctive gravelly voice echoing down the corridors. 18. The much-loved character of snug bar dragon Ena Sharples almost didn't survive the audition. More than three dozen actresses were tested for the part, and if the last, Violet Carson, hadn't measured up, Sharples would have been cut from the script. 19.

Violet Carson almost fluffed her first line as Ena Sharples when the cameras rolled. She was sucking on a Mint imperial and had to hastily swallow it when she heard her cue to speak. 20. Ena Sharples's hairnet remains one of the show's most enduring images, but Carson didn't wear it in the first episode. Before the next episode, she had slipped one on to protect her bouffant hairstyle and had gone out for tea. But she forgot to take it off for that night's show - and it stayed on for 1,147 episodes. 21. Violet Carson's casting brought an unwelcome reunion with the show's writer, Tony Warren. She complained about his 'cheeky, unprofessional behaviour' when she starred alongside him on radio's Children's Hour, when he was a 12-year-old actor. She also claimed she spanked him, although Warren denies it happened. 22. Doris Speed, who played landlady Annie Walker for 23 years, had virtually given up acting and was working for a brewery when she auditioned for the part. On the cobbles: Sir Ian McKellen played author Mel Hutchwright 23.

Laurence Olivier had a part as a tramp created for him but scheduling problems prevented him from playing it. Distinguished actors who have appeared include Sir ian McKellen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Joanna Lumley and Stephanie Beacham. 24. Since then, the Rovers Return has had 13 landlords and landladies, 12 temporary managers, 52 barmaids - the best known being Bet Lynch - four barmen, 17 potmen and ten cleaners. 25. Spirits served in the Rovers are a mixture of burnt sugar and water. Beer is mostly coloured water topped up with the real thing to give it a frothy head. The pub's food - including Betty's famous hotpot - is brought in from the studio canteen. 26. When the storyline called for the Rovers to be sold in 1995, one viewer from the Midlands sent a cheque for the full asking price of £67,000, believing it really was up for sale. The cheque was never cashed but hangs, framed, in the Coronation Street offices. 27.

Encouraged by good audience figures for the first episode (torrential rain kept viewers at home with only two TV channels to choose from) the scripts quickly went for crowd-pulling drama. Just three weeks in, on New Year's Eve 1960, the first character was killed off when May Hardman, played by Joan Heath, collapsed and died at her home, No 13. 28. In all, there have been 124 deaths, including 16 murders and six suicides. To balance that, there have been exactly the same number of audience-pulling happy occasions: 38 births and 86 marriages. 29. The first child born on Corrie was Paul Cheveski, a son for Polish-born Ivan and his wife, Linda, on June 12, 1961. The most recent was Liam Jr, son of Liam and Maria Connor, in July last year. 30. Twenty-eight characters, including Theresa the turkey, have been killed off in road accidents. Another major disaster is being planned for December, when several more Corrie characters will die. 31. Ken Barlow and Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) have had four marriages each.

Ken sold his scooter to finance his first wedding, to Valerie Tatlock. He also married Janet Reid and wed present wife, Deirdre, twice. Gail's first husband, Brian Tilsley, was stabbed to death, she and Martin Platt divorced and husbands three and four, murderer Richard Hillman and kitchen fitter Joe McIntyre, drowned. 32. In 1982, the old studio plasterboard sets were torn down and the Street was constructed with real building materials, using 49,000 reclaimed Salford bricks for authenticity. It is paved with 90,000 cobbles. 33. Bill Kenwright, now a millionaire theatrical impresario, played barmaid Betty Turpin's son, Gordon, for several years from 1968. He still sends the actress who plays her, Betty Driver, roses every Mother's Day. 34. A strike kept Coronation Street off air for 11 weeks in 1979. The show returned with a special 'catch-up' in which storylines that would have taken place during the strike were explained away in a chat between Len Fairclough and Bet Lynch. 35.

Famous fans of the show have included the poet Sir John Betjeman, who said whenever he watched it 'I am in Heaven'. 36. Jean Alexander played Hilda Ogden for 23 years but only used five pinnies and four sets of curlers. 'I'd repair them, rather than have new ones,' she said. She played landlady Mrs Webb in 1962, two years before her debut as Hilda. 37. The audience of 27 million viewers for Hilda Ogden's last episode on Christmas Day 1987 remains the highest ever for Coronation Street. 38. The show has won 90 major awards, including three Baftas for best continuing drama. 39. June Brown - best known as Dot Cotton in EastEnders - was Mrs Parsons, the mother of a musically-gifted son, Tony, in three episodes in the Seventies. 40. Last Of The Summer Wine's Bill Owen played unionist Charlie Dickinson in 1971. He helped window cleaner Stan Ogden form his own union - the Stan Ogden District union (SODU). 41.

Prunella Scales - later to become famous as the matriarch of Fawlty Towers - played a bus conductress in 1961. 42. Corrie specials have featured Jack And Vera Duckworth in Las Vegas, with a guest appearance by Joan Collins; and Steve McDonald driving a van full of alcohol from France back to Weatherfield. 43. and Deirdre Barlow's border terrier, Eccles, is actuallyplayed by three dogs: Tess, Phil and Maeve. In the scene where Eccles jumps into the canal, it is Tess on the towpath, Phil in the water and Maeve being dried off. 44. Corrie is shown in 71 countries, including Australia and New Zealand. At various times, it has been seen in Estonia, Gibraltar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Sierra Leone. 45. Several accomplished television writers have turned their hands to episodes, among them Kay Mellor (writer of Band Of Gold), Paul Abbott (Shameless), and Jack Rosenthal (London's Burning). 46.

Spin-off merchandise has included Coronation Street Monopoly, a 1,000-piece jigsaw, musical mugs, knitting kits, boxer shorts and a Coronation Street Survival Kit. 47. A sit-com called Pardon The Expression was a Street spin-off. The 36 episodes starred Arthur Lowe as his Corrie character Leonard Swindley managing Dobson And Hawks department store. 48. Drag show in the Rovers in 1973 had barmaids Bet Lynch and Betty Turpin in a Laurel and Hardy routine. At a fancy dress party shown on Boxing Day 1966, Ken Barlow came as Lawrence Of Arabia and Len Fairclough as Batman. 49. Michael Parkinson , presenter Russell Harty and writer Willis Hall formed The British League for Hilda Ogden fans. 50. Hilda and Stan Ogden paid £575 for No 13 Coronation Street in 1964. Jack Duckworth bought No 9 from Chalkie Whiteley for £11,000 in 1985 and this week the current tenant, Eileen Grimshaw, had her offer of £82,000 accepted.

The Road To Coronation Street, BBC4, Thursday, September 16, 9pm.

Question: Who had bought the Corner Shop from Elsie Lappin in the first episode of ‘Coronation Street’?
Answer: FLORRIE LINDLEY